


Coffeeshop on Jakku

by koalathebear



Category: Star Wars - All Media Types, Star Wars Episode VII: The Force Awakens (2015), Star Wars Sequel Trilogy
Genre: Alternate Universe, Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Alternate Universe - Coffee Shops & Cafés, F/M, Gen
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-01-10
Updated: 2016-01-10
Packaged: 2018-05-13 00:09:42
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,018
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/5686966
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/koalathebear/pseuds/koalathebear
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>I've never really understood the love for the coffeeshop au myself, but it's an unavoidable fic prompt so here's my take on it.  I know that Niima Outpost doesn't have any coffeeshops but I've made one just for this story.  Set just before The Force Awakens and it's also an alternate meeting between Poe and Rey.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Coffeeshop on Jakku

**Author's Note:**

> Lots of information from "Rey's Survival Guide", the short story "High Noon on Jakku" and of course the wonderful Wookieepedia.

The dry desert landscape of Jakku stretched around as far as the eye could see. The Niima Outpost sat near the equator of Jakku, not far from the mountain ridge known as the Fallen Teeth. For Jakku, it was a relatively comfortable and temperate zone, with conditions that were survivable. Mostly. 

It was only in the peak hours of a few days of the year that you had to stay out of the sun altogether. On those days, the burning, punishing radiation of Jakku’s star would fry the skin of even the most heat-resistant species. The problem was, most days were like that.

Poe had only been in the town for a short time having hidden his ship in a secure location outside of the Outpost but it was clear from even a cursory glance that it was a rough place to live. Populated by prospectors and scavengers who had drifted to the crumbling settlement of rickety landing bays and dusty salvage yards, there was barely any semblance of civilisation. It was hard to believe that the likes of Lor San Tekka had chosen to live on such a forsaken planet but the General had been quite emphatic that the Church of the Force member was on Jakku.

Poe glanced around the town, squinting slightly in the brightness created by Jakku's sun, a fiercely blazing yellow-white star located close enough to the planet to create the harsh and hostile around him. The outpost's main gate utilised architecture akin to that found on other Hutt worlds, setting the tone for the township.

Tarps were spread over a nearby washing station and there were two sentries out the front working on repairs. He could see three ships covered in tarp on the little air field. It was a town with an itinerant population and the Jakku residents walked past the tall Resistance pilot without paying him any heed. A tall Abednedo with the same scowl as Asty walked past and the Resistance pilot stepped out of the way of an angry-looking Uthuthma who shambled past him, its socket-eyed skull face with a toothy maw turned towards him warily. The chains that it wore around its neck as a scar gave it an even more menacing look. 

Poe held up his hands appeasingly to show that he meant no harm, even though if necessary, the blaster strapped to his thigh would be in his hand in a heartbeat. His preference however, was to avoid attracting undue attention and he was relieved when the Uthuthma grunted at him and then left without engaging further.

A battered old light freighter, boxy and ugly landed in the outpost and some tall, dark figures disembarked. Smugglers and other shady characters would come to Jakku to buy salvage cheap and off the books – the owner of the freighter had probably never paid a single credit in the form of excise for its cargo.

He passed a bazaar where he assumed guns and black market goods could be bought and sold and contemplated going in. At that moment, a bearded Nu-Cosian went staggering past, carrying a group of animals around in cages, including frog-like gwerps, chicken-like pishnes, a lonlan , two zhhee and what looked to be an ill-tempered worrt.

"Excuse me," Poe called out politely.

The Nu-Cosian looked at him curiously. "Yes?"

"I was wondering where I might go for a bite to eat."

The Nu-Cosian studied Poe's face for a long moment before lifting a gnarled finger and pointed , "Try the Spinebarrel."

"Thank you."

Poe headed in the vague direction indicated by the Nu-Cosian. The outpost wasn't large and in moments he was standing out the front of something that purported to be called the _Spinebarrel Coffeehouse and Cantina_ according to the lopsided sign that hung above the doorway. Discordant sounds that might have been an extremely mangled attempt at Quenk jazz could be heard through the open doors. 

"Get out and don’t come back if you're going to keep trying to kill the other customers," a young woman exclaimed, using her staff to herd a drunken Rodian out of the door. She raised her leg and gave a strong kick, sending the Rodian into the dust of the road before heading back into the cantina.

The Rodian rolled in the dust at Poe's feet and clambered to its feet, swearing drunkenly as it swayed on the spot. Then he lurched down the road and out of view.

Sitting out the front of the cantina was a Teedo, a member of a species of small, sentient reptilian scavengers who worked the Graveyard of Giants. It stared at Poe warily as the pilot walked through the entrance of the cantina.

The cantina was dark and dusty. Furnished with a strange array of repurposed items that had been salvaged from the Graveyard. Tables fashioned from old Imperial and Rebellion starships as well as native Jakku wood. All of the cutlery, plates, bowls and cups had been retrieved from the starships buried in the sands of the wasteland and the curtains and table cloths were fashioned from the orange and black of Imperial and Rebellion uniforms.

The cantina wasn't very crowded at that time of the day. An unconscious Kyuzo lay sprawled out on the floor, a heavily cloaked Melitto sat at the bar, breathing heavily through its breathing tubes. Poe had only ever seen a Melitto at a distance. As a general rule, the insectoid/humanoids kept to themselves. This one seemed lost in a reverie and on its right was a Rodian, clearly a friend of the Rodian who had just been expelled.

"I don't want to hear any more of your cheek or you're next," a female's voice said firmly.

Poe stared as he approached the young human woman who was working behind the counter. Nearly twenty with dark hair arranged in three simple knots at the back of her head, she had dark eyes that regarded him narrowly with intense suspicion. She was dressed in desert clothing comprised of layers of grey, brown and beige wrappings that were designed to protect the wearer from the sun. 

Her gaze raked over him, missing nothing from his dirty, faded cloak and dusty boots. "What can I get for you?" she demanded. 

He pulled the sand-coloured cloth down to uncover his mouth. Before he could say a word, the girl had spoken again. "We sell coffee and alcohol here. No food. Most spacers bring their own food but you can get some from Bobbajo if you're desperate. If you need to clean up, there's a public Refresher near the airfield. If you're after … entertainment – there's a bordello just outside of town."

He sat at the bar. "A coffee would be great," he told her, watching as she poured a steaming black liquid into a cup for him. She watched him as he took a swallow. It was vile … and it was with great effort that he did not spit out.

"This isn't really made from coffee beans is it?" he asked, trying not to gag.

"Synthesised coffee beans."

Probably synthesised from old boots and fuselage. That or the synthesiser hadn't been cleaned within the last hundred years…

"Can I get a glass of water as well?" he asked tactfully and she poured him some water. He pushed a handful of credits across the bar towards her and suddenly a heavy hand slammed down and covered the credits.

Poe's hand flew to his blaster but the girl held up her hand. "It's ok," she told him. "I just work here, I'm not allowed to handle credits," she told him. "He works for Unkar Plutt the Junk Boss and manages the credits," she told Poe who watched as the heavy-faced thug took the credits and put them in his satchel.

"Not very friendly …"

"Scavengers like me work for portions ... the Blobfish doesn't want to risk us getting near the credits." The thug grunted at the girl who shrugged. 

"Come on, everyone calls him that," she told him dismissively and the thug showed his teeth at her in what appeared to be his version of a smile.

"Will this Unkar Plutt let you tell me your name?" Poe asked her as he watched her wipe down the counter of the bar.

"I'm Rey," she told him simply. 

"Poe."

"You don't look much like the other spacers," she told him, studying his face and his clothes. "And you're not a scavenger," she said emphatically.

He smiled. "You're observant."

"You have to be if you want to survive. Have you seen this planet?" she asked him, raising her dark eyebrows as she spoke.

"Actually – I'm looking for some information," he told her. Rey searched his face for a long moment, lingering on his dark eyes and the strong lines of his face. Naturally wary from necessity, she decided that she rather liked his face … and found that she trusted him even though she wasn't sure why.

"If you're willing to pay for your information, then Unkar Plutt is the one to go to … or you could speak with Zuvio over at the constabulary… he's the best of a bad lot and is what passes for the law around here. He might be able to help you … He's still recovering from the fact that his droid CZ-1G5 went bad last week…"

"Sounds like a story. OK, I'll try Zuvio." He finished his water and set down his cup. "Will you still be here this evening?" he asked her casually and she nodded. 

*

When Poe returned later in the evening, Rey was getting ready to leave and he fell into step beside her as she walked towards her speeder.

"Nice," he remarked, studying the speeder closely.

"You probably think it's just a piece of junk," she muttered beneath her breath.

"Not at all," he told her. "You made it, right?"

She nodded. She'd made it using scavenged parts from Graveyard on Jakku, Niima Outpost or from parts acquired from Teedo traders. 

Poe examined the speeder. The young scavenger had built a vehicle combining the characteristics of a speeder and a swoop, making the most out of scavenged military hardware and civilian machinery. 

"It's really fast and can carry a heavy load," she told him with a hint of pride in her voice.

"I like it." His hands ran over the powerful twin-turbojet engines.

"I got those from an old cargo hauler. The powered amplifier intakes are from an Imperial gunship… the repulsorlifts are from X-wing fighters." The last past of her statement caused his dark eyes to gleam suddenly and he smiled at her.

"I'm impressed. This is very impressive – and so are you."

Rey flushed. She wasn't used to being complimented.

"Was Zuvio useful?" she asked him casually and he nodded.

"I need to get to Tuanul."

"I can show you part of the way," she offered him. "I live in the Goazon Badlands – it's between Niima Outpost where we are now and the Kelvin Ravine – which is where you'll find Tuanul… it's not a place you want to go without a guide "

"You'll protect me?" he asked her in amusement and Rey lifted her chin.

"Do you know how to avoid the Sinking Sands? What to do if you encounter a sand storm? Pretty much everything and everywhere on Jakku is deadly if you don't know what you're doing," she told him bluntly.

Poe fell silent for a moment, weighing up whether or not the young woman before him could be trusted. 

He made up his mind. "I've got a ship hidden just outside of town and would be grateful for your assistance, ma'am."

"It's not ma'am .. I'm just Rey," she told him simply and he smiled. 

"I'll give you a ride to your ship and then I'll show you how to get to Tuanul," she told him.

As they vanished into the horizon, they didn't see the tall, misshapen figure step out of the shadows and speak into a communicator strapped to his wrist. 

"Tell the First Order that we have located the Resistance Pilot deployed by General Organa. He's on Jakku."


End file.
